EXHIBITION OPEN UNTIL 26 JULY 20

We look forward to seeing you from the 18th of May to the 28th of July.

Opening hours will be as follows:
From Thursday to Friday: 10-18
Saturday and Sunday: 10–20
(on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday the exhibition is closed)

Ticket price:
- € 12 instead of €16 (full ticket)
- € 10 instead of €14 (reduced/affiliated ticket)
(The entrance to the exhibition will be possible up to an hour and a half before closing)

BELZONI’S EGYPT

A giant in the land of the pyramids

Explorer, engineer, pioneer of modern archaeology and father of international Egyptology, Belzoni was the real-life figure who inspired George Lucas to create Indiana Jones. Padua-born Giovanni Battista Belzoni was the most important and least remembered explorer of the 19th century, leading an extraordinary and adventure-packed life that is hardly documented at all in Italy.
In this major exhibition, the city of Padua pays tribute to his achievements with an experience that lets visitors retrace his travels among the pyramids: the ideal opportunity to clearly write the name ‘Belzoni’ in the history books.

25 October 2019 / 26 July 2020

AN UNCONVENTIONAL GIANT

From Portello, Padua to Alexandria, Egypt

Born and brought up in the Portello district, the ancient working-class heart of Padua, although Giovanni Battista Belzoni dreamed of becoming a hydraulic engineer, history had other plans in mind for him. Blessed by Mother Nature with a towering stature - he stood over 2 metres tall and possessed Herculean strength - he became known as “The Great Belzoni”. He was, above all, intelligent and courageous with incredible intuition and a selfless love for archaeology, and he was able to put all these qualities to good use in a life that was filled with adventure from the outset, taking him to Rome, Paris and London before finally arriving in the country that was to make him famous.

THE EXHIBITION ITINERARY

Exploring Egypt through the eyes and travels of Belzoni

This exhibition recounts and pays tribute to a life of adventure and ambitious exploits. The itinerary alternates between a traditional exhibition approach and moments of great emotional impact, thanks to immersive technologies, multisensory effects and huge full-scale reproductions. The historical locations, reconstructed with the utmost accuracy, become theatrical spaces that engage visitors in live performances and virtual tricks and illusions with water. Here narrow, labyrinthine passageways, which conjure up Belzoni’s journey into the dark depths of the pyramids, alternate with more open spaces, constantly eliciting the desire to see what will happen next.
Discover our organised visits for school groups and families, plus our exclusive multisensory itineraries for groups.